Having truly experienced the Infinite Sea, Li Fan could now channel its boundless Immortal power using the Illusion Becomes Reality technique. The current Primordial Continent lacked only the potential of the former Immortal Realm.
Immortals could look down upon the myriad beings because the Sage of Connected Mountains had ascended the Upper Mountain, forging a path from nothing. The entire Immortal Realm was built upon this boundless mountain. Yet, few Immortals knew the Upper Mountain's true location or appearance. They were, as the saying went, "lost in the woods."
Li Fan, this "Half-Immortal," was no exception. Though within the mountain, he couldn't see its true form. He could borrow its power but not understand its essence.
"If the Infinite Sea is so awe-inspiring, the Upper Mountain must be even more magnificent," Li Fan often mused while traversing the Infinite Sea, deducing the mountain's existence from the shifting potential he felt with each step he took.
Even without actively seeking the heights of the Upper Mountain, the constant influx of infinite power was subtly changing the Primordial Immortal Realm's potential. This was perhaps the best evidence that the Mountain and Sea shared a common origin.
Li Buren, Li Fan's avatar, sat within a Dao Palace atop the Primordial Immortal Realm's celestial canopy, above the five Heavenly Emperors' palaces. He observed everything below, his attention mostly focused on a worn, incomplete scroll. Though missing many pages, he read it repeatedly.
This was the Mountain and Sea Fable Li Fan had been searching for, the one Liu Ruchen had read. After the Medicine King Sect left the Xuanhuang World with the Medicine King Cauldron, the Supreme Being Sect, one of the Ten Immortal Dao Sects, claimed the scroll, storing it in their treasury. When the sect splintered, a group of defectors took the treasury's contents, including the fable.
Back then, outside the High Wall, the Shuo Star Sea was a chaotic mix of factions. The refugees from within the High Wall, originating from the Dark Star Sea, instinctively united, eventually forming the Sword Domain, the Thousand Crossings Dao Domain, and the Yuanshi Territory.
The former Supreme Being Sect resided within the Thousand Crossings Dao Domain.
Li Fan, now the undisputed ruler of the Shuo Star Sea, could easily locate anything within these mortal realms. A simple command to Shan Hua was enough.
This version of the Mountain and Sea Fable, though still incomplete, provided more details about the relationship between the Mountain and Sea, and their differing attitudes towards the world's inhabitants. It offered Li Fan valuable insights.
He was particularly intrigued by the Mountain and Sea's discussion of the future.
A being was born between the Mountain and Sea. It lived for a day and perished the next, born in the Sea, dying on the Mountain.
The Sea didn't see its demise, but the Mountain did, and wept inconsolably. Falling rocks tumbled down, startling the Sea.
"Mountain, why are you so sad?"
"Sea, I saw our future."
"How can such a small thing compare to us?"
"The Mountain and Sea are vast now, but small in our final moments. Not small because we perish, but perishing because we become small!"
The Mountain and Sea trembled in fear.
…
After years of fear, the Mountain and Sea returned to normal. One day, as they played, the Mountain suddenly left the Sea.
Confused, the Sea pursued it, but the Mountain retreated further.
"Mountain, what's wrong?" the Sea cried.
"Sea, have you never looked up?" the Mountain replied.
The Sea looked up and saw a star hanging above the Mountain and Sea, like a divine eye, watching them.
The Sea ceased its pursuit.
…
The star hanging above the Mountain and Sea vanished one day.
The Mountain and Sea reunited, filled with unease.
"Mountain, where do you think it went?"
The Mountain didn't answer, its gaze fixed on the Sea.
Moments later, the Sea fled in terror. The Mountain and Sea were never seen again.
…
"Mountain, Sea," Li Buren murmured, closing the scroll, his expression unreadable. "Star."
The fable mostly described the interactions between the Mountain and Sea. The "Star" appeared only in the last two stories, yet its presence resonated like a thunderclap in silence, leaving a profound impact.
The Upper Mountain and the Infinite Sea, representing infinity and potential, transcended the mortal realm, their vastness unimaginable. Yet, according to the fable, there was a "Star" above them, a being that instilled fear in the Mountain and Sea themselves, causing their ultimate demise.
"If this fable isn't pure fabrication, then this is intriguing," Li Buren thought. "The star, in the end, vanished from above the Mountain and Sea." He recalled his first entry into the Infinite Sea. "Could the disturbances at the bottom of the Infinite Sea be related to the Star? And what is the connection between True Return and the Star? Who is Sun Piaomiao, and how does she know such secrets?"
Li Fan had shown the fable to Cheng Dao, but the spirit stone born by the Mountain and Sea had no recollection of the events described, dismissing it as mere speculation. He barely glanced at it before returning it to Li Fan.
"Sun Piaomiao, knowing such secrets of the Mountain and Sea, is definitely not ordinary," Li Fan thought, his opinion the opposite of Cheng Dao's. The creator of the profound Dao Refining Medicine King Scripture wouldn't waste time writing nonsensical stories. The references to "Mountain" and "Sea" were too specific, leaving no room for other interpretations for any True Immortal.
"Perhaps the missing pages hold the key."
Li Fan had investigated. The pages weren't lost during the Supreme Being Sect's possession; the scroll was already incomplete when they acquired it.
"Someone deliberately removed and hid them."
Finding the missing pages in the vast starry sky was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Yet, Li Fan had a feeling they were still out there, waiting for him.
"Like bait leading to a trap. It wouldn't disappear before reaching the destination. But perhaps they didn't anticipate that the bait might attract not prey, but a predator."
Li Buren's eyes gleamed as he crushed the Mountain and Sea Fable in his hand, transforming it into countless earthen-yellow threads that he swallowed.
"No wonder it hasn't decayed. It's infused with Dao refinement techniques," he noted, savoring the taste. "Transforming the Dao into pills, refining it through fire and trials. The Dao may decay, but the Golden Core remains."
"Excellent!"
He floated out of the Dao Palace, standing above the Primordial Continent, looking down at the Immortal realm he had created.
"A rare, precious divine medicine," he said, nodding in satisfaction. "Perfect for experimentation!"
He didn't intend to destroy the continent. Thanks to the infinite nature of the Immortal Realm, he could refine its Heavenly Daos using Dao refinement techniques. By carefully controlling the process, maintaining a balance between creation and destruction, he could forge Immortal Realm Dao Pills without harming the continent's foundation. The Primordial Immortal Realm was like a constantly regenerating lingzhi mushroom, a perfect source for Dao Pills.
He had no fear of failure, confident even in his first attempt.
"Five Heavenly Emperors, heed my command," he declared. "Fire… ignite!" He sent a decree towards the five palaces below.
Five-colored light erupted from the palaces, covering the sky. The continent's inhabitants looked up in fear. But with the Creator God's decree and the five Heavenly Emperors enforcing his will, they could only obey.
The Thirteen Celestial Scars, like vengeful spirits, patrolled the continent, eliminating any resistance.
Amidst the terror, the inhabitants prostrated themselves, begging for mercy. But the multicolored light continued to surge across the sky.
From Li Buren's perspective, the Heavenly Daos were being distilled by the flames, rising like smoke and coalescing into a spherical pill before him. Thanks to Cheng Dao's guidance, he understood the various Dao paths of Primordial Possibility. Like a skilled alchemist knowing each ingredient, he refined the Dao with ease.
The smoke continued to rise, forming a Dao Pill that shimmered like purple qi from the east, radiating an aura of immense value.
Yet, Li Buren shook his head. "A failure." He casually tossed the pill towards the palaces below.
"Thank you for your grace, Father God!" The Boundless Emperor of Central Jun Heaven, the strongest of the five, snatched the pill, his joy overriding his fear. The other emperors watched with envy. Even as Heavenly Emperors, they remained subservient to Li Fan, just as they had been when he controlled their access to the Infinite Sea.
"Seven days until the next pill, while the Primordial Immortal Realm recovers," Li Buren calculated, marveling at the infinite power's regenerative abilities. Any ordinary lower realm, no matter how rich, would be depleted by such a process. But the Immortal Realm was an endless source.
(End of chapter)